Brighter Than Sunshine
by oltha-heri
Summary: So that, put your iTunes on shuffle and write fic for each song, thing that went ‘round over the summer, well this is me finally doing that. There are 10 vignettes, and all are really different, they range in length and genre though all focus on DV .


**Summary:** So that, put your iTunes on shuffle and write fic for each song, thing that went 'round (and 'round and 'round) over the summer, well this is me _finally_ doing that. Each story is _really_ different, they range from a few paragraphs to a few pages, from angst to fluff, from team to real shippy. They don't follow any story line, in fact they go against each other several times.

**Warning:** This is un-betaed, I've never written SG fic before, and it is very uneven.

**Disclaimer:** Not Mine. Belongs to MGM SciFi and the creators and other people who are not me.

_You bring it up and bring it in and we'll get you fixed up in no time  
Cause this love is all I have to give  
This love is all I have to give  
- Fix You Up by Tegan & Sara_

Vala wasn't talking to any of them. They had had a run in with Jacek on the last planet they'd been to, and now Vala had sequestered herself in her room. The bottle of wine and girl talk that Sam had tried last time wasn't welcome. The sparring or meditating option Teal'c had offered was rejected with a polite smile. Cam had tried to bribe her with jello to come play on his play station, but that too had been turned away. Daniel had convinced the rest of the team to leave it to him, even though he wasn't sure if he could bring her out of this Jacek caused funk.

He had tried to gain access to her room. He was allowed in the first time, but she had tricked him into leaving, and when he got back she had soundly refused admittance. He had promised himself he wasn't going to get a key from a guard. He wouldn't push her. As the hours passed it got harder to remain sitting on the cold cement floor occasionally talking to the metal door that separated them. At first she had told him to leave in various ways, mostly in Go'auld, and mostly things that weren't fit for civilized company, but when had Vala ever been that.

At midnight, a loud crash reverberated through the door he was leaning against. "Vala!" He was standing and pounding on the door in seconds. "Vala are you okay?"

"Yes Daniel, I'm fine." Her voice was firm if gravelly.

"What was that?"

There was silence before she quietly, brokenly evaded his question. "Just go away, Daniel."

The earlier strength was gone from her voice. "Just please leave me alone."

He answered without thinking: "No."

"Why Daniel? Why won't you leave me alone, Why won't any of you leave me alone?" He could hear the tears easily in her voice now.

"Because Vala, we care." He leaned his head against the cool metal wishing for some magic band-aid to fix her. "Let me in Vala." He pleaded one last time for entrance into her room, her life, and anything else she might have for sharing.

The door opened a crack. His forehead followed the door, and he turned slightly to see the small slit of pale skin and dark hair that was visible. She moved and one reddened eye peered out at him. "Hi." He whispered across the great expanse of gray metal that lie between them.

She disappeared for a moment. The door had not been locked though and after hours of talking to it, he thought that was progress. He heard things being moved around, and then the door swung open. She hid behind it. He walked over the threshold.

"Hi." She finally responded, as the door closed behind him.

_Now I'm wide as the ocean  
Now I bleed roses  
And you are just a mark  
On the map of my past  
- Season Poem by Gregory And The Hawk_

He dies the last time on a mission. Friendly fire, K.I.A. No one is quite sure what to do with themselves. They've all lost people before. This though, this is Daniel. Cam runs and runs and pushes himself so hard Lam locks him up in the infirmary for a week. Teal'c meditates and tries to loose himself, in a way that has not quite been possible since he lost his symbiote. Sam sleeps, she sleeps more than anyone remembers and she still always seems so tired. Jack looses himself in his cabin, and no one is quite sure what he's doing, or even if they want to. And Vala, Vala just exists. She does all the things she normally does: she eats slightly too much for her slight frame; she kicks some SF's asses in the gym; she sits in his office looking through his translations. The only big difference in her routine is that she sleeps in his quarters. No one is sure when it started, no one is sure how they know, but everyone does. She doesn't move in there. She is meticulous with his things, and makes sure to keep it as _his_: she just happens to sleep there. This is perhaps what takes them the most off-guard. They all expected something big from her, an explosion, or breakdown, something over dramatic and almost silly, something to distract there are one-syllable answers, and loneliness.

It isn't 'till the funeral that they realize they may as well have lost the whole team. They don't talk to each other any more. They don't talk to any one. The day of his funeral they all end up at Sam's house having dinner. A small affair consisting of Jack, Mitchell, Carter, and Teal'c, Vala somehow ends up sitting at the head of the table. She looks at the family she has built around herself. She's scared though, scared when she looks around and there's a gaping hole where he should be, and it hurts, it hurts so much being reminded of him every second. It hurts not being able to let go. She makes a decision sitting there around those people who all remind her of a million different situations involving _him._ "I'm leaving the SGC." She says it quietly but everyone hears, it is hard not to, no one has said more than three words all day.

Sam is the first one to react. Her fork half way to her mouth lands loudly on her plate. Cam is next, turning his head to look at the only reason Jackson ever was on his team in the first place. Teal'c raises an eyebrow. Jack is silently judging the slim alien that seemed to have the ability everyone's worlds upside down. Vala takes a sip of her wine and refuses to meet any of their stares.

"It's time."

There is another moment of silence before hell breaks loose. Cam goes first this round, "Time_?_" He asks Vala, maybe a touch too loudly.

Sam is next, the lethargy that had surrounded her since Daniel's death gone in anger. She seethes and almost shouts, in a way that is so uncharacteristic her pain sticks out like a bright red sore on an otherwise smooth complexion.

O'Neill joins in the ruckus with a venom that takes her aback. Vala is fingering the stem of her wine glass wishing she hadn't let herself get so attached, wishing their words would stop hurting, when Teal'c's deep voice seemingly unaffected by the anger and sadness that surrounds the rest of them cuts through the noise, and nearly breaks them all. "Would you so dishonor the memory of Daniel Jackson?" It is a simple question, with a thousand undertones, and it leaves silence in its wake.

Vala feels the tears she has yet to shed fall onto her cheeks, and she can't move, her limbs feel like jello and she can't move to hide any of it. Suddenly the rest of the group is blinking back their own tears. The reality of what they did that day, of what had happened sunk into them all. Not just that he was dead, not just that they had lost him, but that they would have to live everyday of their lives without him. That somehow everything would return to normal, and that wouldn't include him.

Sam pauses and is completely silent, biting her lower lip, before she looks over and sees Vala looking more like a lost child than the former space-pirate she knows, and in an unusual display of physicality, she hugs Vala, and suddenly the two women are sobbing in a way that is far too clichéd and far too justified. Jack has palms pressed to his eyes, as if he has a migraine except the truth is: the pain is somewhere in his chest. Cam is leans back, wondering how the fuck this happened. A hand reaches to grab one of Vala's, in support or apology, nobody knows which. Teal'c sits alone his own grief suddenly too real. They sit there for most of the night. They don't talk that evening. It's weeks before anyone feels strong enough to crack a joke about Daniel (it's Jack), and though the laughs are hoarse, and sad, they're genuine for the first time.

Vala never talks about leaving after that.

_There's a method to your movements  
That really gets my goat  
- Gut Feeling by Devo_

Daniel was pissed. Angry did in no way begin to cover how he felt right now. What the hell had she been thinking? She could've been killed. Oh sure jump in front of staff blasts, that's a good idea. He kicked his trashcan.

"What's got your riled up?"

Daniel looked over to see the object of his anger standing there looking like she didn't have a side that was bandaged from a staff blast intended for _him._ Why did she keep doing that saving his life with her own thing. "You don't have a riled. One may be riled, one cannot have a riled that is up." He snapped.

Vala nodded indulgently, like he was possibly a five year old. He pouted and sat on his chair holding in the desire to kick his trashcan again. God she was annoying: saving his life, treating him like a child. He was suddenly really glad Jack couldn't hear his thoughts, Daniel had a feeling he would never hear the end of it. He looked over to the dark haired woman in the doorway. She had a small smile on her lips. His countenance darkened. He kicked the trashcan over.

_Cause you crossed my mind, you crossed my mind  
Made my blood thump 7-8-9  
Make my heart beat double time  
Now I'm only sour cherry on the fruit stand, right  
Am I the only sour cherry on the fruit stand  
- Sour Cherry by The Kills_

Vala stabbed the cherry pie in front of her with venom that ensured she was sitting alone. She was staring across the commissary to the new anthropologist. Quiet, mousy even, Vala thought. She laughed at something her dining partner said. Vala smashed her fork into her pie. She looked at her water and thought about pouring it over the couple. The male part of the couple turned a little and Vala saw the edge of his glasses. She decided it would be too weak. Vala looked down at her destroyed pie and got up. She had to walk past them to get to the door. She cursed under her breath in Go'auld. She may have made the back of her tray hit Daniel's head a little on the way out, and Vala may have ignored his call of "Hey!" She also may have smirked as his attention was called from his_date__._

Vala was rudely awoken at 3 in the morning to loud bangs on her door. Emergencies were usually sounded with klaxons and technologies not banging on doors. Still, accepting that she lived on a military base she held in the temptation to throw something at the door. She pulled the door open one handedly pushing her face mask up, her robe dragging from one forearm. Seeing who was on the other side of the door, and seeing the lack of bustle behind him, she sighed and leaned against the door.

"Daniel is your planet going to be destroyed in the next five minutes?"

"No." He pushed past her body into her room.

"Please come in." She muttered. She turned to look at him. She leaned back against the door and it thudded shut. She smirked. She knew exactly how to get rid of him. Her fingers reached for the bottom of her camisole as she said. "Well darling, this isn't entirely unexpected." She grinned what she was sure was lasciviously. She was just beginning to pull her top off (slowly, so they could both escape with dignity, well maybe a nipple wouldn't hurt him, she thought), when he turned and dismissively waved his hands.

"No, no, this is about earlier."

Vala cocked her head. That was more forward than she'd been in ages, he should have been scurrying for the Pegasus Galaxy by now, not pacing and treating her exposed, rather brilliantly toned and flat stomach, like it did not exist.

"You see here's the thing, I don't understand _why_ you did that. I mean it was suggested that you were jealous."

Vala's face darkened, and she wondered whom she had to kill for suggesting that _she_ could be jealous.

"You see that doesn't make sense though." Daniel was moving back and forth far too quickly, her tired mind was quickly getting dizzy. "That would mean you'd have feelings for me, which everyone knows you don't. I mean I'm just a joke to you."

Vala was suddenly taking this interchange very seriously.

"Right Vala? That's all I am to you right?"

"Daniel, if that's what you think of our friendship then obviously I went wrong somewhere."

Daniel looked at Vala. She looked back at him.

"What does that mean?"

"What does it think you means Daniel?" She sighed, suddenly tired of the games, she laid back down on her bed, and pulled her covers up. "I'm tired, and I love you. So can I just go to sleep, and back to my dreams of pulling off Dr. What's-her-faces head off."

Daniel was silent for a few long moments. Vala shifted uncomfortable in the silence. "You love me?" He finally asked.

"Yes, Daniel, I love you. Now can I get to sleep?"

"Are you messing with me?"

Vala rolled her eyes. "Daniel, I am not, and I think it's possible that I never was, messing with you. Now go back to Ms. Mousy."

"Ms. Mousy?"

"Dr. What's her face."

"Dr-"

"Don't say her name! For gods' sakes how have you ever been in a relationship with a woman, you have no respect for one's feelings." She said outraged, turning over in her cocoon of blankets to look at him.

"You have feelings for me?"

"Yes Daniel, we've been over this."

He walked over to her, she was unnerved. He sat down on her bed, she gulped. He kissed her. Daniel Jackson was leaning over her, in her bed, kissing her like he'd never wanted anything else.

In about a second he was on his back and being kissed by a wonko alien.

_It's the wrong kind of place  
To be thinking of you  
-9 Crimes by Damien Rice, feat. Lisa Hannigan_

Vala had left Earth in a huff of anger, and a flurry of pigtails. Daniel's weird beard was growing again, and he was more sarcastic and harsh than ever. More the soldier than the archaeologist, even as they sat stranded not quite sure what to do when they were just the band again, no back-up singer to talk of. General's Landry and O'Neill, as well as the rest of SG-1 were fed up within two weeks of the alien's absence. They were going to get her back.

They didn't tell Daniel where they were going, but SG-3 had been sent out with the express mission of getting information on Vala Mal Doran, and had come back in four days with a planet and the village she would be in, so SG-1 gated to another planet with trees, and started making their way toward the village five clicks from the gate. Daniel said not a word the whole trek.

"Over there." Sam pointed to the wooden sign that marked the tavern that Vala should be staying at.

"I didn't realize we had a specific mission, I thought it was recon." Daniel asked, more confused than suspicious.

"Yeah, well where else to start but at the watering hole." Cam said organizing his P-90 unnecessarily. The village was busy it had a small market that attracted the type of people Vala was far too used to, and as they made their way past lewd comments directed at Sam, and lewder offers toward the men, those of the team who knew where they were going suddenly understood Vala a lot better.

"Well, thank you gentlemen for that. I enjoyed taking your cash immensely."

Daniel looked over to the place where he heard her. It had to be a figment. It was nearly impossible they would happen to be doing a recon mission on the same planet she had ended up on, but as he turned and saw her collecting a large pile from he middle of the table, he suddenly had a feeling it wasn't a recon mission at all.

The tavern quieted as it noticed SG-1's presence. They stood out among the leather and rough cotton fabric all of the other patrons wore. Vala turned to the entrance to see what the fuss was. She saw in a gap between shoulders the green uniforms.

"Vala!" Daniel shouted at her.

Her hands were shaking slightly as she shoved the winnings into her pockets.

The other patrons turned to look at the raven-haired pirate many of them knew as utterly disreputable.

She ignored him for a moment gathering herself. "Daniel, as your people would say, fuck off." She raised her head in defiance.

Then Teal'c zatted her. "Teal'c!" Came the simultaneous cries from Sam and Daniel.

"Whoa big guy." Cam said with shock, or maybe admiration.

"I do not believe Vala Mal Doran would've come willingly."

"Probably true." Cam nodded. "You shot her though, you carry her."

"Indeed." Teal'c said moving towards the prone woman, and scaring off the few other members of the game she had been playing from recollecting their possessions.

Teal'c and his load left first, followed by Sam. Cam waved at the still silent bar, and dragged a stunned Daniel out after him.

Half way back to the gate and Vala waking up, Cam thought, _Yep, definitely got the back up singer back_.

_Well I'm  
Taka-taka-taka-taka-takin' it off  
And she's  
Taka-taka-taka-taka-takin' it off  
And he's  
Taka-taka-taka-taka-takin' it off  
And we're  
Taka-taka-taka-taka-takin' it off  
-Cheated Hearts by Yeah Yeah Yeahs_

It was team night after a long month of fighting a few hold out Ori soldiers and the Tau'ri were far into their cups. The aliens however were not. Teal'c remained bone dry, and Vala was barely tipsy despite the fact she'd probably downed the most. Vala looked at the team, which made up the closest thing she'd had a family since, well ever, really. A wicked thought crept into her mind. They were playing poker, and Daniel was out of the colorful chips they were using instead of currency, and Cameron was pretty low.

"I have an idea, I've heard of in some of your movies." Vala said, as she sorted through her cards trying to appear innocent.

"What's that princess?" Cam finally asked, when she didn't elaborate.

"Well I noticed that poor Daniel," She pated said archaeologist's head, and his drunkenness was proved by the fact that he didn't swat away her hand, "Is out of chips, and you our dear fearless leader," Sam let out an undignified laugh at this description of Cam, "Are almost out."

"So, what's your idea, Vala?" Sam asked ignoring the glare Cam was leveling at her.

"Well, what do you know about strip poker?"

_Then the sun came out of he clouds  
And charged up the satellites  
We all got our energy back and started talking again  
It's the blessed routine  
For The Good, The Bad And The Queen  
Just moving out of dreams with no physical wounds at all  
- The Good, The Bad, And The Queen by The Good, The Bad, & The Queen_

"Hey."

"Hey."

"You eat breakfast yet?" Sam asked her team leader.

"Nope. How 'bout you Jackson?"

"No." He didn't bother to look up from the book that his nose was buried in.

"Big guy?"

"I have not Colonel Mitchell."

At that point Vala came into the room, following on General Landry's heels dogging him

about something.

"Hey Princess, you eat yet?"

"Yep, but they have pancakes, so I could of course eat more."

"We really need to stop letting her spend time with Jack." Daniel mused.

"Oh why's that space monkey?"

Daniel's neck jerked so quickly in order that he might look at their female alien, that Sam was afraid it might actually break. He squinted his eyes as he glared. Vala ignored him.

"So breakfast after the briefing?" Cam asked the table.

"Sure."'s "Yeah."'s, an "Indeed" and General Landry's polite tolerance agreed to the plan.

"Now Colonel if you're done could I conduct a briefing?" Landry said interrupting his premier team's daily routine of talking about something mundane, before the thought of global and usual inter-galactic domination came up.

"Sorry, sir." Mitchell looked properly chastened as he opened the manila folder in front of him.

Global and inter-galactic domination it was (after breakfast).

_This time tomorrow where will we be  
On a spaceship somewhere sailing across an empty sea  
This time tomorrow what will we know  
- This Time Tomorrow by The Kinks_

Vala arched up into Daniel, and called out his name as she came. He clutched her close, and crumbled over her. The lay silent exhausted. Neither was quite sure how this had happened, neither was quite sure what this meant. Daniel moved off of her. Before he could get too far, her voice cut through the silence: "You're staying right?"

Daniel turned and looked at the woman in the bed, god she was beautiful, and so fucking broken. He smiled. "Of course I am."

She smiled trying to hide the uneasiness that had been in her voice a second before. He settled himself next to her.

"Do you want to talk about this?" Daniel finally asked.

"Are you going to fall asleep with me tonight?"

"Yes."

"Then there's nothing to talk about Daniel."

"Vala," he began getting ready for a lecture.

"Daniel, this isn't about me or you avoiding feelings, this is about what we do, who we are." She turned to look up at him, "We can't know if we'll be able to wake up together tomorrow. We can't know if both of us will come home tomorrow. I love you, and I don't think I'm assuming too much when I say you love me." She waited a moment, and was relieved when he nodded, and kissed her lightly. "Then there's nothing to talk about."

He wanted to argue, he wanted to say there were words, that he needed her to come back with him, but he realized, there was no point. In the middle of the night after what had just happened, there was nothing to talk about. After all with their track record it wasn't impossible that they might just die, piss off some ascended beings _and_ come back tomorrow.

He reached over and turned off her bedside lamp. She settled into his side, an arm stretching across his chest. She was right; this was all they could be sure of.

_We did what we could  
To save this car from crashing  
Your pretty face is soaked in blood  
You know, I still find you dashing  
- House Fire by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin_

They were taking fire, as usual. "This is definitely worst first-contact." Daniel yelled at Cam.

"Well, don't look at me. It was Vala who did it."

"I was trying to help." Came the immediate defense.

"Indeed, Vala Mal Doran was helping the man, he surely would've been hurt if not for her reflexes."

"Thank you Muscles." Vala said to her fellow alien before taking cover behind the DHD.

"No inter-gender touching, what about that don't you understand?"

Vala rolled her eyes as she got popped up to punch the first symbol for going home. "What was I supposed to-" Her sentence was lost.

Daniel looked over to her. He saw her fall. He was already at her side by the time the rest of them had noticed what happened.

"Daniel?" She sounded shocked, she looked shocked. Her hand that had automatically gone to cover her wound rose, she looked at it. It was covered in blood. She tried to laugh. "I didn't-"

"Don't talk." He ordered sharply, he had no idea how his voice had gotten so gravelly.

She ignored him, and grabbed his hand. "I didn't expect this."

"Vala, don't-"

"Sam finish the dialing sequence." Cam yelled as he mad his way to his fallen team member catching the med kit Carter tossed at him.

"I mean, I'm not scared but, but I just- You've made me so happy Daniel. And-"

"Vala, stop it."

"No, I have to-" She was interrupted by a shudder running through her body. "Oh god!"

Daniel ignored Mitchell bustling around the wound trying to fix the irreparable damage with their inadequate field equipment.

"I think this counts as inter-gender contact boys." Vala said lightly. Her back arched and a yell tore from her as Mitchell poured massive amounts of disinfectant on the wound.

"How many more symbols Sam?" Mitchell asked watching his second in command trying to get them home and not get in the same shape as Vala.

"Daniel, -"

"Princess, Jackson's right don't-"

"Shut up Cam, now Daniel, thank you so much, for reminding me what home was." She smiled. The wormhole opened behind them.

"Jackson!" Cam tried shook Daniel.

"Get her through the gate."

He looked at Cam.

"It's too late."

Cam looked down at Vala. Her eyes were lifeless.

Cam's voice was gruff. "We don't leave anyone behind."

Daniel grabbed the limp body from the ground. Her blood staining his vest, he ran as fast as his shock and her weight would allow. There were gunshots behind him as cover fire was laid. He was the first through the gate. The gateroom was silent until Walter called for a med team over the speakers. Teal'c and Cam came running behind him, jostling him from his position at the head of the ramp. He stepped forward. The stretcher was already at the foot of the ramp as Sam came through. He laid her down. The wormhole closed. Carolyn called it immediately. Daniel looked at the grey eyes still staring unseeing. It was silent, as it should be, she was dead.

Daniel collapsed onto the edge of the ramp, and watched her face as a white sheet was placed over her, and watched a limp arm it didn't cover get rolled away. "She's dead."

The rest of SG-1 didn't say anything. He was right: she was gone.

_Tied up in ancient history  
I didn't believe in destiny  
I look up you're standing next to me  
What a feeling  
- Brighter Than Sunshine by Aqualung_

"Darling?"

Daniel didn't look up from his translation. "Just five more minutes."

"You said that half an hour ago."

He heard her heels hit the hard floor as she walked over to him.

"Daniel-"

"Vala we can go out any-"

"Daniel, I love you, very much, but if you don't take me out tonight I swear to all the false gods we've encountered, I will make you regret it."

He saw her figure out of the corner of his eye. He saw that below her knee there was bare pale leg until they went into heels that looked downright dangerous. He looked up. For someone who spent a large amount of his life as a geek how he had managed to land a woman who was not only stunning, but knew and had no shame about it, was still a mystery to him.

"Are you coming, or do I have to do something I will no doubt find tiring, and will no doubt make you want to tear your hair out?" Vala raised an eyebrow that showed she had Teal'c had been sparring too often again.

"I'm coming."

Daniel closed the books he was working with, and turned off his light, as he offered he grabbed for Vala's fingers with one hand and grabbed the suit jacket off the back of his chair with the other. She let him entwine his fingers with her as they walked out of the base.

Reviews will be loved and cared for. :D


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